Thursday, April 21, 2016

That time I "unfriended" someone on Facebook

It takes a lot for me to "unfriend" someone. This is true of real life, but today I'm just talking about on social media. When I "friend" someone, I typically keep them on my list forever. Sometimes I'll "hide" someone from my feed (I love that feature, by the way), but that's the extent of it.

Well, yesterday, I unfriended someone. And this was the post that did it:

His comment is at the top of the post. I cut out his face/name to keep it anonymous.

I almost commented. I almost called him out. But I decided to just hit that "unfriend" button instead. I have absolutely no room in my life or Facebook feed for someone like this.

Even if you object to the change because you think Jackson should stay on the $20 bill, the comment is completely ridiculous.

"No one will want to look at that ugly face!!!"

Since when did someone have to be attractive to be on money? Last I checked, individuals were selected based on their achievements and contributions to our nation's history. Harriet Tubman lived an extraordinary life and accomplished much against great odds. She deserves to be recognized for her contribution to our society.

Who cares if she doesn't have model looks?

Let's be honest, it's not like Andrew Jackson is that much of a looker either. And he was kind of a terrible person when you get right down to it. But apparently we can over look that because (at least in the pictures above) he's deemed more attractive than Harriet Tubman. Then again, it seems women's value hinges solely on their looks. We've been told that for decades. It hasn't changed yet.

As you might be able to tell, I'm still angry about this whole ordeal, and it's hours after I first read the post.

4 comments:

Yeah, I would've probably done the same if I were in your shoes. I have defriended at least a dozen FB friends over the years. Infractions that prompted this include: narrow, rigid views backed up by completely untrue, fabricated myths; the inability to have an intelligent conversation or debate without getting personal and attacking myself or someone else who has an opposing view; and rude comments about my alma mater (Marshall), Marshall's football team, Marshall fans, and Marshall alumni by people who didn't even go to college when Marshall and WVU used to play each other in football. I initially never unfriended anyone, I just hid them (I love that feature, too), but I eventually got to the point of where I said, "OK... In real life, I wouldn't surround myself with this kind of person, so why am I doing it on FB?" For me, FB is a short little escape from reality. I want my experience to be happy and those people (whom I defended) were doing just the opposite so it was time for them to go. Best wishes!

First, everyone looked "ugly" in those old time photos. It's because they had to hold still for so long to get the picture. Second, on the rare occasion when I have cash, I am not looking at the pictures thinking how attractive the people are. I shove it in my wallet and move on. Finally, your friend sounds like a do-do head. I'm using terms he would understand.

I don't know about you, but I also couldn't care less about whose picture is on my money. I just spend it. I don't take lots of time to stare at it. ;-P

I've unfriended or unfollowed people for reasons like this. Usually after seeing a lot of posts on my feed that completely go against my values, I decide that enough is enough. I also do periodically whittle down my friends list when I realize that I really don't have any important interactions with people whether via Facebook or in the real world.